Governor, lawmakers to see 3 percent pay boost

SACRAMENTO, Calif. (AP) — California Gov. Jerry Brown and state lawmakers will get 3 percent pay boosts in December, marking the fifth consecutive year of pay raises for state elected officials.

Brown's salary will jump to nearly $196,000 and lawmakers' to $107,000. That's a roughly 18 percent jump since 2012, or more than $30,000 for Brown and $16,000 for lawmakers.

Meanwhile, wages for Californians in the private sector have, on average, grown between 1.2 and 2.4 percent annually since 2013, federal data shows.

Members of the California Citizens Compensation Commission approved the raises Monday. They noted elected officials' salaries will still be lower than they were prior to the Great Recession. Then, the governor made $212,000 and lawmakers took home $116,000.

Advertisement

"It's been 10 years and we have taken a very moderate approach," commission member Matina Kolokotronis said.

At their current $104,000 salary, rank-and-file California lawmakers already take home the highest paycheck in the nation among state legislators, and Brown is one of the nation's highest paid governors. Commission Chair Tom Dalzell said it's hard to make comparisons given California's population size.

Also getting the 3 percent raise are Lt. Gov. Gavin Newsom and state Treasurer John Chiang, both Democrats who are running for governor. Newsom will take home nearly $147,000, while Chiang will make almost $157,000.

Other statewide elected officials who will see a raise include Attorney General Xavier Becerra, Controller Betty Yee, Insurance Commissioner Dave Jones, Secretary of State Alex Padilla and Superintendent of Public Instruction Tom Torlakson.

Members of a state tax board, the Board of Equalization, will see raises despite lawmakers' decision to strip much of the board's power in this year's budget after an audit found questionable uses of money and employees' time. If approved, the budget will move about 90 percent of the board's staff into other departments and strip its power to settle tax disputes.

Still, board members will make nearly $147,000 next year. Dalzell was unaware of the changes to the board's duties, but he said the commission could consider changing board members' pay at next year's vote.

California's public sector workers, meanwhile, will see a negotiated 4 percent salary increase this year.

__

This story has been corrected to show John Chiang is the state treasurer, not the state controller.